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Microsoft "Surface"


Black Mage
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This reminds me almost exactly of the desk in The Island (Sean Bean's characters desk) in which I thought was awesome. Moving wallpaper ftw.

as far as PC games working on it, as everyone else notes, RTS and Turn-Based games like Heroes of Might & Magic would probably be best suited for such a computer of sorts; along with Photoshop work and the likes, although they already have tablets for that.

I really liked how they emulated transferring music from Surface to a Zune on the website videos. I still have a hard time seeing how that would work, but it is Microsoft, so they'll think of something. It'd definitely save me time from having to fix everything through the Zune Software *curses under breath*

My issue with this, isn't the technology, or how "different" it is, is how, just like with the Nintendo DS touch screen: Finger Prints. I don't know how often I have to wipe off the screen of my NDS from finger prints i don't even know how got there, and just imagining that thought all over a giant screen such as this. Windex Wipes much?

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I'm not sure I agree. Even if they get this technology for the same price as a normal PC or even a bit lower, it's still not worth paying for what will really be more of a novelty (at least until they come up with more uses than photos and maps, both of which can be done on a normal PC already). The only thing I've heard that might be a better use than a PC (as opposed to different; I can get to photos and maps I want pretty quickly with a keyboard and mouse; I don't think I'd gain anything by doing all that touch-based) is the possibility of piano-roll sequencing being a lot faster than keyboard and mouse. Even then, it'll still be a long time before that kind of thing was affordable for people like us, not to mention that no one would be upgrading from their current setup unless the thing performed well. I suppose it could always be used as an interface to a PC; that might work.

Anyway, with the current set of things this can be used for, it's clearly not much more than a novelty. Unless they come up with a lot of good applications for it that can't be done as effectively on a PC, it will remain a novelty and I doubt it'll sell well, which is why I was suggesting how it would compare to a normal PC, because I don't think it has enough potential at the moment to make it as a PC replacement or as a novelty device. Of course some people will buy it just because it's cool, but most will want it because of what they can do with it, and as long as it remains a "toy", they'll stick to their PC.

It could also have a lot of potential with 3D modelling too, I think. It'll probably end up being most suited for artists/musicians, the kind of people who would be likely to work on a Mac.

One thing I disagree in a major way is that they're aiming for a totally wireless connectivity with the devices. I think that's just as important as trying to introduce touch monitors really.

Also, just about ALL technological leaps are considered toys or novelties until they are eased into use. That is not a new revelation really. LCDs, DVDs, even CDs, HDTVs, etc. Even cellphones had skepticism when they were first introduced. And I remember distinctly when they were regarded largely as novelties and toys than a necessity.

And I don't quite understand the PC argument since the technology is supposed to be an extension of PCs. Imagine what they can do with some sort of a touch-sensitive keyboard or artistic uses. Those ideas can't be considered to be trifles if they can do so without using all sorts of devices and connecting them manually when you can have a single monitor that can do all of that.

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http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070530-what-lurks-below-microsofts-surface-a-qa-with-microsoft.html

Whoa, some interesting information there:

-It's *NOT* a touch sceeen, it uses 5 "near-infrared" CAMERAS.

-Most of the hardware is consumer-grade by today's standards

-lol

I suppose that fact would make the current system not very good as a replacement for a Wacom when using Photoshop, as it would likely not be sensitive to the variable force of a touch.

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how can they be "near-infrared"? It's either infrared, or its not.

The thought processing behind that could make one's brain explode, or at least damage it.

The boundary between visible and infrared light is not precisely defined.

...

Astronomers typically divide the infrared spectrum as follows:

* near: (0.7-1) to 5 µm

* mid: 5 to (25-40) µm

* long: (25-40) to (200-350) µm

....

So it seems there is a variety of infrared.

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Speaking of which, anyone still on dial-up?

I have a couple of friends who are still on dialup, and our download limit isn't very big, so we get capped towards the end of the month, down to 64kbps... almost dialup speed.

I'm not a huge fan of touchscreens, and I own a DS. Oh well, good luck to them with it.

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